1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a timing controller for a display device and a display device including the same and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a timing controller which transmits data signals without requiring additional signal lines, and a display device having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) apparatus typically includes a display panel including pixels, gate lines and data lines. The pixels include switching elements and the switching elements are electrically connected to the gate lines and the data lines. The LCD apparatus further includes a gate driver for providing gate signals to the gate lines to turn the switching elements of the pixels on and off, a gray voltage generator for generating a plurality of gray voltages, a data driver for selecting a voltage corresponding to image data as a data voltage from the plurality of gray voltages and for applying the data voltage to the data lines, and a timing controller for controlling the abovementioned elements.
The gate driver and the gray voltage generator are supplied with voltages and convert them into voltages to drive the LCD apparatus. For example, the gate driver receives a gate-on voltage and a gate-off voltage and alternately applies them to the gate lines as a gate signal, and the gray voltage generator receives a uniform reference voltage and divides it with a plurality of resistors to provide divided voltages to the data driver.
Each pixel includes the switching element, connected to one of the gate lines and one of the data lines, and a liquid crystal capacitor connected to the switching element. The liquid crystal capacitor includes a pixel electrode on a lower display panel and a common electrode on an upper display panel, disposed opposite to, e.g., facing, the lower display panel. The liquid crystal capacitor further includes a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode. The LCD apparatus displays a desired image by applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer to control transmittance of light therethrough.
Because the liquid crystal layer transmits the light in a predetermined direction and the LCD apparatus displays the desired image using the light, the LCD apparatus typically has a narrow viewing angle relative to other types of display devices. To widen the viewing angle of the LCD apparatus, a vertical alignment (“VA”) mode LCD apparatus has been developed. In the VA mode LCD apparatus, liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are vertically aligned with respect to the lower display panel. Thus, when an electric field is not applied to the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal molecules are vertically aligned with respect to the lower display panel, and the LCD apparatus displays a black image. However, when an electric field having, a predetermined intensity, is applied to the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal molecules are horizontally aligned with respect to the lower display panel, and the LCD apparatus displays a white image. In addition, when an electric field having an intensity less than the predetermined intensity is applied to the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal molecules are inclined between vertical and horizontal with respect to the lower display panel, and the LCD apparatus thereby displays a gray image.
To further widen the viewing angle of the VA mode LCD apparatus, a patterned vertical alignment (“PVA”) mode LCD apparatus has been developed. Pixels of the PVA mode LCD apparatus include a patterned common electrode and patterned pixel electrode to form multiple domains of the liquid crystal molecules. In addition, a super-PVA (“SPVA”) mode LCD apparatus has been developed. In the SPVA mode LCD apparatus, each pixel includes several sub-pixels, and different voltages are applied to each sub-pixel in accordance with different gamma curves.
The LCD apparatus typically employs an accurate color capture (“ACC”) technology to improve image quality. The ACC technology improves image quality of the LCD apparatus by using a lookup table which stores compensation data for image data received from an external graphic device.
The ACC technology may be applied to the LCD apparatus having the SPVA mode. More specifically, when the ACC technology, based on a single lookup table, is employed in the SPVA mode LCD apparatus, the ACC technology is applied to sub-pixels which receives different pixel voltages according to the different gamma curves. In contrast, when the ACC technology, having more than one lookup table, is employed in the SPVA mode LCD apparatus, different ACC technologies, each based on a different lookup table, are applied to sub-pixels, which thereby receive different pixel voltages according to the different gamma curves.